I have not found the report cited above in Shi‘i sources. Even if we accept it as authentic, it does not absolve those who merely pose as scholars. The difference between a clown and a false scholar is that the clown’s role is plain to everyone: he is known as a clown, and his sole purpose is to make people laugh. But people trust the false scholar and regard him as a representative of religion; any mistake he makes can deal a devastating blow to their beliefs.
In truth, false scholars are thieves who steal the mantle of prophethood, imamate and wilayah!
و عن رسول الله ص عن الله تعالى أوحى الله تعالى إلى موسى یا موسى من کان ظاهره أزین من باطنه فهو عدوی حقا و من کان ظاهره و باطنه سواء فهو مؤمن حقا و من کان باطنه أزین من ظاهره فهو ولیی حقا
جامع الأخبار (للشعیری)، ص: 185
God Most High said: “Whoever’s outward appearance is more adorned than his inward reality is truly My enemy. Whoever’s outward and inward are alike is a true believer. And whoever’s inward reality is more adorned than his outward appearance is truly My friend.”
ما أقبح بالإنسان ظاهرا موافقا و باطنا منافقا
عیون الحکم و المواعظ (للیثی)، ص: 477
How ugly it is for a person to be agreeable on the outside and hypocritical within!
و قال ص رأیت لیله أسری بی قوما تقرض شفاههم بمقاریض من نار کلما قرضت ردت فقلت یا جبرئیل من هؤلاء فقال خطباء أمتک کانوا یأمرون الناس بالبر و ینسون أنفسهم و هم یتلون الکتاب أ فلا یعقلون
مجموعه ورام، ج2، ص: 215
The Messenger of God (may God bless him and his family) said: “On the night I was taken on the Mi‘raj, I passed by a group whose lips were being cut with shears of fire. Each time they were cut, they were restored. I asked Gabriel, ‘Who are these people?’ He replied, ‘They are the preachers of your community. They used to command people to do good, yet forget themselves, even as they recited the Book. Will they not then understand?’”
عن أبی جعفر ع قال شیعتنا ثلاثه أصناف صنف یأکلون الناس بنا و صنف کالزجاج یتهشم و صنف کالذهب الأحمر کلما أدخل النار ازداد جوده.
عن أبی عبد الله ع قال: کان بالمدینه رجل بطال یضحک الناس منه فقال قد أعیانی هذا الرجل أن أضحکه یعنی علی بن الحسین ع قال فمر علی ع و خلفه مولیان له فجاء الرجل حتى انتزع رداءه من رقبته ثم مضى فلم یلتفت إلیه علی ع فاتبعوه و أخذوا الرداء منه فجاءوا به فطرحوه علیه فقال لهم من هذا فقالوا له هذا رجل بطال یضحک أهل المدینه فقال قولوا له إن لله یوما یخسر فیه المبطلون.
الأمالی (للصدوق)، النص، ص: 221
Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said: “Our Shi‘a are of three kinds: one group preys on people in our name; another is like glass, easily shattered; and another is like pure red gold, which grows finer each time it is put into the fire.”
Imam al-Sadiq (AS) said: “There was a man in Medina who was a buffoon and made people laugh. He said, ‘I have never managed to make this man laugh’—meaning ‘Ali ibn al-Husayn (AS). One day ‘Ali (AS) was passing by, with two servants behind him. When the buffoon saw him, he came up, snatched the Imam’s cloak from around his neck, and went off. ‘Ali (AS) paid him no attention. The Imam’s companions pursued the man, took the cloak back, and brought it to him, placing it on his shoulders. He asked them, ‘Who is this?’ They replied, ‘He is a buffoon who makes the people of Medina laugh.’ He said, ‘Tell him that God has a day on which those who engage in falsehood will be the losers.’”
الأمالي (للصدوق) / ترجمه کمرهاى، متن، ص: 221
Al-‘Atā’iqī relates in his commentary on Nahj al-Balāgha that a man stole the Prophet’s cloak and went out among some people, saying, “This is the cloak of Muhammad (may God bless him). He gave it to me in return for letting me have that woman.” They found this claim outrageous and sent someone to ask the Prophet about it. The man went to drink some water, was bitten by a snake, and died. When the Prophet heard what had happened, he said to ‘Ali, “Go. If you find that he has already been dealt with, burn him in the fire.” ‘Ali went and ordered that he be burned.